Key Details
The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) — India’s statutory body responsible for regulating adoption — launched the Adoption Awareness 2026 theme on 1 September 2026.
Year-round campaign: Awareness activities will run throughout the year, replacing the earlier concentration of outreach in November.
State and UT workshops: Workshops beginning in September 2026 will explain the statutory adoption process, strengthen coordination and help stakeholders identify illegal practices.
First announced workshop: CARA will hold an Adoption Awareness Workshop at the Delhi Secretariat on 10 September 2026, in collaboration with the Delhi Government’s Women and Child Development Department.
Operational focus: The workshop will cover the timely reporting of children separated from guardians, lawful surrender, declaration of children as legally free for adoption and compliance with the prescribed adoption procedure.
Participating stakeholders: The campaign will involve Child Welfare Committees, District Child Protection Units, adoption agencies, childcare institutions, police, health departments, courts, legal-services authorities, hospitals, medical professionals, ASHA and ANM workers, civil society and the media.
Inter-ministerial coordination: CARA is working with the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Home Affairs to strengthen awareness, coordination and enforcement against illegal adoption.
Awareness Will Continue Beyond the Usual November Campaign
CARA is shifting from a largely November-based awareness exercise to year-round outreach, beginning with State- and Union Territory-level workshops from September 2026.
The campaign will explain the legally prescribed adoption process, improve awareness of illegal adoption practices and reinforce the principle that decisions must protect the best interests of the child.
The Campaign Targets Institutions That Encounter Children and Families
The outreach will involve Women and Child Development Departments, Child Welfare Committees, District Child Protection Units, adoption agencies, childcare institutions, police, health departments, courts and legal-services authorities.
It will also include hospitals, nursing homes, medical professionals, ASHA and ANM workers, recognising their role in reporting children who are separated from guardians and directing cases towards the appropriate authorities.
The Delhi Workshop Will Focus on the Adoption Process
The first announced workshop will be held at the Delhi Secretariat on 10 September 2026. Its agenda covers:
timely reporting of children found separated from their guardians;
lawful surrender procedures;
declaration of a child as legally free for adoption; and
adherence to the prescribed adoption procedure.
The wider campaign seeks to ensure that prospective parents and the public understand that adoption must take place through CARA and designated authorities or agencies, rather than through private arrangements
Policy Relevance
Illegal adoption creates risks at the intersection of child protection, healthcare, policing and access to justice. A year-round campaign matters because the warning signs and institutional entry points are dispersed across these systems.
For policymakers, the initiative can strengthen:
early reporting, particularly when an infant is abandoned or a parent seeks to surrender a child;
lawful referral, so hospitals and frontline workers know which authority must be contacted;
institutional coordination, preventing children from falling between health, police and child-protection systems;
public understanding, especially among prospective parents who may mistake private arrangements for valid adoption; and
local enforcement capacity, because suspected illegal placements are most likely to surface at district and community levels.
Consistent messaging across States is particularly important. The legality and safety of a child’s placement should not depend on whether the first person encountering the case understands the prescribed process.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can CARA ensure that every hospital, police station and frontline child-protection worker has a clear and immediately usable referral pathway when a child is abandoned, surrendered or suspected of being placed through an illegal adoption arrangement?
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